Oil-well-gate control



May 6 1924. `1,492,856

H. MCCURDY OL WELL GATE CONTROL Filed March 24.v 1922 I' PatentedMay 6, 1924. i

UNiTE'D STATES HOWARD mocUnnY, oF HnNTIiiefroN PARK, CALIFORNIA.

in-wundern coNTRoL.

`Application led March 24, 1922. Serial No. 546,317.

To all whom, zt may conce/m:

Be it known that I, HOWARD MoCURDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntington Park, inthe county Vof Los Angeles'and. State of California, have invented new and useful 4Improvements in Oil-Well- Gat'e Controls,.of which, the following is a specilication. j

.Thisi'nvention' relates to deep well apparatus. v

' -As is well known high pressure oil and gas strata are encountered `in deepI wells during various stages of operations and the high pressures frequently result in the blowing out of the string of tools or pump appa'- ratus in the well with serious damage to the well structure and to the surrounding propert and with great danger to the operatives. n ordinary well constructions there is employed a well casing consistin of metal pipe of considerable diameter wit in which is suspended.

At the headl of the well there isla derrick and a platform beneathwhch is arranged a cellar, and-'in the part of the 'casing as exposed in the cellar there is usually provided v a substantial valve of 4the, gate variety. adapted to be opened and closed during op-h `:i0 erations "and in emergencies.

In the event of theblowing of a lwell, the o ratives as soon as they are warned by t e'sound in the well usually flee from the vicinity for safety and do not take time to Se close the main gatevalvein the casing head. An object of the present inventionis to provide. means` for automatically' closing this gate and whichmeans is preferably operated directly bv the preure o-f the oil or 40 gas rising in thewell. This insures., the closing of the main gate valve without the presence of the operatives. l- A One embodiment of the invention is herein described and illustrated in'the accom-4 e5 panying drawings, in which Figure *l is a side elevation and partial section of a portion of the well head casing showing the improved valve closing means attached thereto.

` 'F ig. 2 isa' sidel elevation in vdetail ofthe worm and gear for closing the gate valve.

Y By my invention I provide a. method for closing the' gate valvewhich consists inutilz'ing the pressure of the oil or gas in the the drillingtools or the pumping apparatus 'well for automatically closing l them-gatev valve.

Inl afpreferred embodiment of the inven-v tion there. is shown a worm wheel 2 which is secured'suitably to the stem 3 of .a gate valve 4, the casing 5 of which is mounted in the head casing.` 6. The valve stem 2 is provided with a hand wheel 7 bywhich the valve may be closed manually. 'j V For the purpose of utilizingthe pressure of the oil or gas rising in the well to 'opel' ate the valve, I provide -asuitable connection or collar 10 in the well casing 6 at any t point below. the valve casingj, and in thisA connection 10 there is arranged an outlet l1v preferably disposed at Ian. acut'e angle lwith respect to the axis of the well casing so that the flowing gas or oilmay pass into the outlet 11 without materially reduced velocity. The outlet connection 11 leads upwardly and may be provided with a suitablequick opening valve 12. From this valve a pipe 13 is continued to and connects with the,v pressure intake side of a turbinecasing 14 which may be mounted suitably in va conrvenientposition with 're ect to the main valvecasing 5. As here s own the turbine casing 14 is carried bybrackets 1.5- applied to the well oasin casing`14' is a tur a Shaft 17,and this is provided with aI worm or screw 18 meshing with the worm wheel 2. For safety purposes, thevent -pipe19 from the exhaust side of the vturbine casing is oar- 6. Within .the Aturbine ine wheel 16 and having ried t0 a remote point so that 4the turbine i choking of this exhaust.

will not be rendered inoperative by the From the above it will be seenA -thatduring drilling or pumping operations the mainl v'valve `closure` 4 is'normally open and the quick opening valve -12 is closed.- In the event of a blow of the well the attendant quickly trips thequick opening valve 12 and this permits the passage of the rising oil or gas under pressure intothe outlet ipe-11 from the casing and into the turbine '14 with the result that the wheel 1 6 is rotated,

ion

and thisA in turn, driving 'the screw 18, turns the worm wheel 2 and the valve 'closu'e 4 is then moved to closing position and thus eectually" cutslo the discharge of fluid from the'wellhead. l In the event that it is impossible 'to open the quick opening valve 12l 'under the exi-4 gency, l provide for the operation of the turbine wheel 16 by an auxiliary' means in cluding a supplv connection consisting of ya pipe leading to a source of steam, waig f ter, gasV or other fluid under pressure which j may be turnedinto the auxiliary pressure pipeZjD, and this being connected to the turi' bine supply pipe 13 Yat a point above the yclosed valve l2 insures the operation of the turbine Wheel A16 t0 drive the worm 2 and thus close the '-'Jalvellindependentlvr of the pressure in the outlet pipe ll il'rom 'the well ias casing.

It is understood that my automatic ap- 'aratus may be attached to existing well Vead structures including the usual mainv valve or may Ybeembodied in any new Structure. 1

The above' described apparatus illustrates a simple and practicable form in which 'the invention is embodied, and it is understood that the parts may-Abe rearranged and made ofdiiierent combinations vand organiaations still embodying the broad; idea otutilizmg a portion'of the fluid under pressure in the well for hermetically closing the main gatebe .left fopen when `using the standard drilling rigs',

valve under certain conditions. Y

The quick opening valve l2 ina-v but' when using rotaryapparatus, the valve 12-will be left closed during operations; .l p

lt is understood that the quick opening valve V12.will be manipulated entirely ac cording to the conditions obtaining in the drilling of any particular well, thatis it may be left open or it maybe left ,closed during the operations as desired or neces-v sar l garious changes and. modilications lmay be made without departino' from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

' What is claimed is:

l. The combination with the main valve in a wellhead casing, of fluid ator and a mechanism for closinv the1val-Ue, and' 'a valved connection between said motor and' the casing at a point below the valve.

2. 'lhe combination with the main, valve y in a well head casing, of .motor operated mechanism for' closing the valve, 'and a connection between the motor or. said mech' Lacasse anisrn and the well casing at a point below the .valve where by' pressure in the Well casing is utilized to'drive said mechanism.

" 3.,'l`he combination With a wellY casing and a main salve in the well head casing,

of motor operated mechanism for closing the valve, a connection between themoton of said mechanism and the well casing whereby pressure in the well casing. is utillized 'tordrive said mechanism, and an auX- lliary means for supplying pressure inde-V .pendently of the well *pressure for operating said'mechanism. i

' 4. llleans forclosing the main valve in a well head casing comprising power apparatus having a conduit connected to the p zgn Casing tovsupply a. portion of the uid ,luder pressure in the well to said appas ratus Jfromv a point below the valve.

5; Means-for closing the main valveY in a well head casing comprising power ap paratus having' a conduit connected to the weil casing to supply a portion of the fluid under pressure ini the well to said appa- 'iratusfrom Aa point below the valve, and` -van auxiliary pressure supply connection Le supply said apparatus with pressure independently of the ressure Yin the well.

6. Thevcombination with the main valve in a well head casing, of means for operat-- ing the valve, including-a motor havinge supply connection to derive pressure ,i

' 8. A well'rlclesing s stem comprisng'a, .valve arrangedin the ead of the well cias-f. ing, a motor operatively connected to the valve closure, and aisupply connection bei tweenl the motor below the valve.v

In testimony whereof name to this specificationi have signedii'my/ l y the main valveV and tht-casing at a point 

